Young Marine blasts Rep. Murtha at town hall meeting
By Jim Kouri
web posted January 16, 2006
During a Town Hall meeting earlier this month Democrat
Congressmen John Murtha (PA) and Jim Moran (VA) touted
their call for a withdrawal from Iraq, an unexpected turn of
events occurred.
Moran and Murtha continued the anti-war diatribes which
included their relating talks they've had with military officers and
rank-and-file troops in Iraq. Murtha has said the military is
broken, morale within the ranks is poor, we need to pullout
immediately, and other defeatist rantings.
Murtha had just finished his presentation during the Virginia
townhall meeting, in which he added that he feared a slow
withdrawal may give people the impression the US achieved
victory (God forbid Americans think we're victorious), when he
opened the meeting for a question and answer session.
At that point a man stood and spoke:
"Yes sir my name is Mark Seavey and I just want to thank you
for coming up here. Until about a month ago I was Sergeant
Mark Seavey infantry squad leader, I returned from Afghanistan.
My question to you, (applause)
"Like yourself I dropped out of college two years ago to
volunteer to go to Afghanistan, and I went and I came back. If I
didn't have a herniated disk now I would volunteer to go to Iraq
in a second with my troops, three of which have already
volunteered to go to Iraq. I keep hearing you say how you talk
to the troops and the troops are demoralized, and I really resent
that characterization. (applause) The morale of the troops that I
talk to is phenomenal, which is why my troops are
volunteering to go back, despite the hardships they had to
endure in Afghanistan.
"And Congressman Moran, 200 of your constituents just
returned from Afghanistan. We never got a letter from you; we
never got a visit from you. You didn't come to our homecoming.
The only thing we got from any of our elected officials was one
letter from the governor of this state thanking us for our service in
Iraq, when we were in Afghanistan. That's reprehensible. I don't
know who you two are talking to but the morale of the troops is
very high."
The only response from Murtha and Moran was Moran saying,
"That's a comment not a question."
According to former Marine, NYPD first-grade detective and
security consultant Sid Francis, "This young guy hit those two
phony patriots right between the eyes with one shot. Good for
him. Murtha must have forgot that you don't piss off a Marine."
Of course, the mainstream news media never revealed the above
exchange to the American people. To them it was a matter of
protecting their latest anti-war, anti-Bush heartthrob, John
Murtha. However, the new media -- bloggers, conservative
news websites, talk radio and Fox News Channel -- made
certain that Sgt. Seavey's words did not enter the media-
coverage blackhole.
Instead of covering Sgt. Seavey's remarks, the mainstream news
media decided to help Murtha thwart a news story that was
developing on the internet. Murtha, a decorated Marine veteran
who is an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, has become the
latest Democrat to have his Vietnam War decorations
questioned. And this time it's fellow Democrats who are
questioning Murtha's Purple Hearts and medals.
Here's how the Houston Chronicle opens their story on this latest
medals flap:
"In a tactic reminiscent of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
assault on Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., during the 2004
presidential campaign, a conservative Web site [Cybercast
News Service] on Friday quoted Murtha opponents as
questioning the circumstances surrounding the awarding of his
two Purple Hearts."
Opponents? One of the primary sources for the CNS story is a
fellow Democrat --former Congressman Don Bailey.
David Thibault, editor-in-chief of the Cybercast News Service,
said the issue of Murtha's medals from 1967 is relevant now
"because the congressman has really put himself in the forefront
of the anti-war movement..... He has been placed by the
Democratic Party and anti-war activists as a spokesman against
the war above reproach."
As for how Murtha won the Purple Hearts, the Houston
Chronicle quotes a Murtha spokesperson as saying, "We think
the congressman's record is clear. We have the documentation,
the paperwork that proves that he earned them, and that he is
entitled to wear them proudly."
Well, he may possess the documentation, but CNS reported
they've never been released and the documentation of Murtha's
service record is as elusive as Senator John Kerry's.
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National
Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a staff writer for the
New Media Alliance. He's former chief at a New York City
housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City"
by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. He's also
served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and
security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many
police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police
Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's appeared as on-air
commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows
including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News,
MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is
available at Amazon.Com. Kouri's own website is located at
http://jimkouri.us
Enter Stage Right -- http://www.enterstageright.com